Apparel For Enhanced Ballet Performance

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a compression sock for enhanced ballet performance and training. The compression sock is designed to be worn over a ballet shoe. The compression sock has two areas of extra enhanced compression, one on the medial side and one on the lateral side of the sock as worn on the foot. If worn while training, these compression areas help prevent sickling of the foot and improve ballet technique.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/030,426, filed on May 27, 2020.

FIELD

The present invention relates to athletic apparel worn by ballet dancers.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, ballet dancers use resistant bands or elastic bands to strengthen their legs. Such commercially available examples include the PlumBand Stretch Band, available at https://www.amazon.com/PlumBand-Stretch-Band-Dance-Ballet/dp/B01B71606S.

These and similar bands function with the ballerina holding the two ends of the band with the band wrapped around the ball of the foot. The ballerina tightens the band with her arms and then extends her foot, which the band resists. After repeated and prolonged use, dancers benefit with stronger feet and a more beautiful foot line.

Ballet dancers also experience foot sickling during tendu. This occurs when a dancer's foot “scoops down” with the heel too far back with the toes in front of the ankle and the heel. In a correctly pointed foot, the heel and ankle are slightly in front of the toes. The foot is naturally more flexible to the inwards, so the foot commonly veers inwards and sickles.

Sickling can be difficult to self-correct. Again, the use of elastic bands to strengthen the foot are a common method to avoid sickling.

The present invention enables both the proper strengthening of dancers' legs and guides alignment to avoid sickling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A sock made of an elastic material wherein

-   -   said sock is worn over a ballet shoe;     -   said sock has a medial enhanced compression area; and     -   said sock has a lateral enhanced compression area.

The sock of [0009] wherein the elastic material is nylon.

The medial enhanced compression area of [0009] wherein it is located on the medial side of the sock as worn on the foot, inferior to the ankle, superior to the heel, posterior to the arch of the.

The medial enhanced compression area of [0011] wherein it is circular in shape.

The medial enhanced compression area of [0012] wherein it is approximately one inch in diameter.

The lateral enhanced compression area of [0009] wherein it is located on the lateral edge of the sock as worn on the foot, in between the heel and the ball of the foot, encompassing the lateral side of the arch of the foot.

The lateral enhanced compression area of [0014] wherein it is rectangular in shape.

The lateral enhanced compression area of [0015] wherein it is approximately one inch wide and three inches long.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings briefly described as follows.

FIG. 1 is a medial view of the compression socks of the present invention as worn on the right foot and FIG. 2 is a medial view of the compression socks of the present invention as worn on the left foot.

FIG. 3 is a medial view of the compression socks of the present invention as worn on the right foot.

FIG. 4 is a medial view of the left foot and FIG. 5 is a lateral view of the right foot, both feet wearing the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions.

The present invention comprises compression socks worn over ballet shoes for enhanced ballet dance performance and recovery. The compression sock puts pressure on the lateral edges of the foot. This tightens the foot bones and creates a stronger and more stable foot. This makes the dancers work harder while going through the full foot stretches with resistance. With prolonged use, this strengthens the dancer's feet. These can be worn for ballet barre practice, but in a preferred embodiment, they are not worn during a formal performance.

In another embodiment, the invention comprises areas of enhanced compression on the sock to guide the dancer in correct foot placement and avoid sickle foot. In a preferred embodiment, one such position is on the medial portion the ankle, slightly superior to the medial portion of the arch of the foot.

In another embodiment, extra compression is built into the compression sock along the lateral edge of the foot. This helps correct against sickle feet and helps ensure proper ballet technique.

One of skill in the art would appreciate ballet slippers, otherwise known as pointe shoes. Pointe shoes enable the dancer to perform pointe work, where a dancer supports the full body weight on the tips of the fully extended feet within the pointe shoes.

Pointe shoes employ structural reinforcing to distribute the dancer's weight load throughout the foot, thus reducing the weight load on the toes.

Pointe technique gives the appearance of one's full weight on the toes, making the dancer to appear weightless.

One of skill in the art can make the present invention with any elastic material for compression socks, such as nylon, cotton, spandex, and natural rubber. In a preferred embodiment, they are made with middle weight, opaque materials.

In a preferred embodiment, the compression socks of the present invention are worn over ballet shoes.

Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the Figures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments. For example, it should be appreciated that those skilled in the art will, in light of the teachings of the present invention, recognize a multiplicity of alternate and suitable approaches, depending upon the needs of the particular application, to implement the functionality of any given detail described herein, beyond the particular implementation choices in the following embodiments described and shown. That is, there are numerous modifications and variations of the invention that are too numerous to be listed but that all fit within the scope of the invention. Also, singular words should be read as plural and vice versa and masculine as feminine and vice versa, where appropriate, and alternative embodiments do not necessarily imply that the two are mutually exclusive.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention and their advantages may be understood by referring to FIGS. 1-3, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements.

Reference is made to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show a medial view of the compression socks of the present invention as worn on both the right foot (FIG. 1) and left foot (FIG. 2). Reference is also made to FIG. 3, which is a medial view of the compression socks of the present invention as worn on both the right foot. In both figures, item (1) signifies the compression sock of the present invention as worn over a pointe shoe. In both figures, item (2) designates the area of enhanced compression on the compression sock of the present invention for the improvement of pointe shoe ballet technique.

In particular, the medial enhanced compression area is on the medial side of the sock as worn on the foot, inferior to the ankle, superior to the heel, posterior to the arch of the. In a preferred embodiment, the medial enhanced compression area is circular in shape and approximately 1 inch in diameter.

Reference is made to FIGS. 4 and 5, which depicts is a medial view of the left foot (FIG. 4) and a lateral view of the right foot (FIG. 5) wearing the present invention. As shown, item (3) designates the lateral enhanced compression area for the improvement of pointe shoe ballet technique. This area corresponds to the lateral edge in between the heel and the ball of the foot, encompassing the lateral side of the arch of the foot. In a preferred embodiment, the lateral enhanced compression area is a rectangular in shape and approximately 1 inch wide and 3 inches long.

The foregoing description comprises illustrative embodiments of the present invention.

As will be appreciated, the foregoing objects and examples are exemplary and embodiments need not meet all or any of the foregoing objects, and need not include all or any of the exemplary features described herein. Additional aspects and embodiments within the scope of the claims will be devised by those having skill in the art based on the teachings set forth herein.

While the invention has been described in connection with what are considered to be exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. A sock made of an elastic material wherein said sock is worn over a ballet shoe; said sock has a medial enhanced compression area; and said sock has a lateral enhanced compression area.
 2. The sock of claim 1 wherein the elastic material is nylon
 3. The medial enhanced compression area of claim 1 wherein it is located on the medial side of the sock as worn on the foot, inferior to the ankle, superior to the heel, posterior to the arch of the.
 4. The medial enhanced compression area of claim 3 wherein it is circular in shape.
 5. The medial enhanced compression area of claim 4 wherein it is approximately one inch in diameter.
 6. The lateral enhanced compression area of claim 1 wherein it is located on the lateral edge of the sock as worn on the foot, in between the heel and the ball of the foot, encompassing the lateral side of the arch of the foot.
 7. The lateral enhanced compression area of claim 6 wherein it is rectangular in shape.
 8. The lateral enhanced compression area of claim 7 wherein it is approximately one inch wide and three inches long. 